After not riding my MTB I noticed the free stroke on my almost new Hope X2's was playing up. After pulling on the lever I noticed that the pads would bite the disc but not return after releasing the brake lever.

Thinking there was something wrong but desperate to ride the bike without wasting too much time, I put on a new pair of Shimano XT's.Same problem!

Do any of the more experienced members know what is going on here? Do I deed to bleed off some oil or air? Or is this related to the heat of summer? I would have thought the Shimano’s would be fine right out the box - previous brakes were.

Do they rub on the rotor when you ride? If not, I wouldn't worry. When you say brand new XT, do you mean unridden?

I'm thinking this is just the normal self-adjusting action that hydraulic brakes have. As the pads wear, the pistons move in to compensate. They move back out just far enough to stop brake rub.

I have had problems in the past with one piston retracting less than the other which led to rotor rub, but it was only because of dirt buildup on the piston wall. A good clean with a cotton bud dipped in brake cleaner fixed it up. Squirting the hose down through the brake caliper when cleaning after rides helps keep the problem away, but keep the pressure mild. You don't want water getting past the seals and into your brake fluid!

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